How the clocks going back can play havoc with your menopause symptoms

10 (7 reviews) Rate this page



Menopause Advisor
eileentalksmenopause
Ask Eileen


06 November 2017

Read the full video transcript below

Today's topic

Hello and welcome to my weekly video blog. And today on A.Vogel Talks Menopause, I'm going to be talking about why the clocks going back can play havoc with your menopause symptoms.

Now here in the UK last weekend, the clocks went back an hour, and you would think that having an extra hour, especially if you have an extra hour in bed, that would be really beneficial for you. But a lot of women find that when this happens, their menopause symptoms start to get worse. 

Why can the clocks changing affect your symptoms?

Now how on earth does this happen? Well, yes, you've got the extra hour in bed, but that means that you're an extra hour later getting something to drink and getting something to eat.

Which symptoms can be affected?

So what can happen here is because you're getting up that hour later, you're not getting a drink at the usual time. And even an hour's difference in getting something to drink can start to cause dehydration.

And we know that dehydration will cause your flushes to get worse, your joints can ache a bit more, you can get that nausea feeling.

Your flushes can get worse, you can get that fuzzy-headedness, and your anxiety can get worse as well.

If you're also an hour later getting something to eat, then your blood sugar levels can plummet very, very quickly and that can then trigger things like your palpitation. Again, it can cause nausea, you can start to feel really tired, really, really drained.

And low blood sugar levels will give you the sugar cravings, so you will want to really eat as many sort of sweet things as you possibly can, and that's not going to help either.

How long will this last?

Now for most of us, we're lucky enough these symptoms will slowly disappear. Maybe within a week or two, you will find that everything goes back to normal. But for a few women, this can have a really terrible effect because our bodies are on a knife edge when we're going through the menopause, and the slightest little thing can tip us over the edge, if you like. So for some women, just the clocks going back an hour can make their symptoms worse and they don't start to resolve. 

What can you do?

So if you have found that your menopause symptoms have started to get worse since the clocks went back, and they don't seem to be getting any better, then you need to do a little bit of extra work.

First thing, the most important thing, get plenty of water. So even take a little bit more than what you would normally do, have a little bit of extra water before you go to bed. Sometimes just a little shot glass of warm water can help to prevent dehydration first thing in the morning. 

And make sure that you're eating really well. And for this time, eat little and often to keep your blood sugar level stable. Now that does not mean having lots of caffeine, and having biscuits, and cakes, and things for snacks. We want nice, healthy snacks like nuts and seeds, or a little bit of dried fruit, or some plain yoghurt, or even something like an oatcake, or a cracker and cheese. So you're wanting to keep everything as stable as possible, and hopefully, that will help to get things back on track. 

Eileen says.......

Don't forget to find time to relax. Relaxation is so important in the menopause and can help to ease symptoms including hot flushes and night sweats.

What ele can disrupt our internal clock?

Now this scenario whereby your own body clock's rhythm gets interrupted in some way can happen in all sorts of different situations. It's not just about clocks going back or the clocks going forward. It can be when you go away on holiday, even if you're only hopping across to the continent, and again, you're losing an hour or gaining an hour. You might find for a couple of days that your symptoms are just a little bit out of balance. 

And the other situation where this can happen quite frequently is when you don't get enough sleep at night. If you end up having a really late night, that can throw your body clock out quite dramatically. 

So I hope this has been of interest and it just shows that sometimes, it's the little things that we do or don't do that can have the biggest effect on our menopause symptoms. So I will look forward to seeing you next week for another edition of A.Vogel Talks Menopause.

A.Vogel Menopause Support | For Perimenopause, Menopause & Postmenopause Symptoms

30 tabs

£ 6.99

find your local stockist

Menopause Support can be used to help you through all stages of the menopause.
More info

Did you know?

You won’t get the menopause the minute you turn 50! The average starting age is actually between 45 and 55 and it can often depend on a number of factors including hereditary, weight and health, however every single woman will have an individual menopause.

Learn the truth behind other menopause myths

Healthy & nutritious dinner ideas

Get new recipes in your inbox every week. Sign up now

Are you Menopausal? Need help with your symptoms? Try our Menopause Symptom Checker.